Roel Frijling studied Hospitality Management and International Service Management at Christelijke Hogeschool Noord Nederland (currently Stenden University of Applied Sciences). He is a lecturer at Stenden in the International Hotel Management programme, and since 2014 he has been a member of the research group in the Sustainable Innovation in the Regional Knowledge Economy research Department. Mr Frijling is engaged in research into how a business’ hospitality can be used to boost innovation in the regional knowledge economy. He has been involved in a host of projects, including ‘18 Holes’, dedicated to transforming Drenthe into the number-one province for golf in the Netherlands, and Healthy Lifestyle Hospitality, a project to develop new forms of recreation, where hospitality is combined with healthcare and promoting healthy lifestyles.